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REFERENCE TITLE: campaign committees; termination statements; contributions |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026
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HB 2874 |
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Introduced by Representative Weninger
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AN ACT
amending sections 16-934 and 16-937, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to campaign CONTRIBUTIONS and expenses.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 16-934, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-934. Termination statement; filing; contents
A. A committee may terminate only when the committee treasurer files a termination statement with the filing officer with whom the committee's statement of organization was filed.
B. In the termination statement, the committee treasurer shall certify under penalty of perjury that all either of the following apply applies:
1. The committee received no CONTRIBUTIONS.
2. The committee received contributions and all of the following apply:
1. (a) The committee will no longer receive any contributions or make any disbursements.
2. (b) The committee either:
(a) (i) Has no outstanding debts or obligations.
(b) (ii) Has outstanding debts or obligations, or both, that are all more than five years old, and that the committee's creditors have agreed to discharge the debts and obligations and have agreed to the termination of the committee.
3. (c) Any surplus monies have been disposed of and that the committee has no cash on hand.
4. (d) All contributions and expenditures have been reported, including any disposal of surplus monies.
C. A filing officer may reject the termination statement if it appears to the filing officer that the requirements in subsection B of this section have not been satisfied.
D. After a termination statement is filed, a committee:
1. Is not required to file any subsequent campaign finance reports.
2. Shall have no further receipts or disbursements without filing a new statement of organization.
E. A standing committee may terminate its activities in a particular reporting jurisdiction, and remain active in other reporting jurisdictions, by filing a statement of that intent with the filing officer in each reporting jurisdiction.
Sec. 2. Section 16-937, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
16-937. Failure to file; penalties; notice; suspension
A. If a committee fails to timely file a complete report as prescribed by articles 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 of this chapter, the filing officer shall send a written notice by e-mail email to the committee within five days after the filing deadline that identifies the late report, describes how fines accrue and identifies methods of payment.
B. A committee that fails to timely file a report shall pay the filing officer a penalty of ten dollars $10 for each day that the filing is late during the first fifteen days after the filing deadline and twenty-five dollars $25 for each subsequent day that the filing is late. Penalties accrue until the late report is filed.
C. If a committee fails to file a complete report within thirty days after the filing deadline and after providing notice pursuant to subsection A of this section, the filing officer may notify the appropriate enforcement officer prescribed in this article.
D. For any political action committee or political party that fails to file three consecutive complete reports, the filing officer shall send by e-mail email to the committee a notice of temporary suspension and the following apply:
1. On receipt, the committee's authority to operate in the jurisdiction is temporarily suspended.
2. The notice shall state that failure to comply with all filing and payment requirements within thirty days after the date of the notice shall result in permanent suspension of the committee's authority to operate in that jurisdiction.
E. After compliance with subsection D of this section, the filing officer may permanently suspend the committee and shall notify the committee by e-mail email and is not required to provide any further notice. Permanent or temporary suspension does not eliminate a committee's continuing obligation to file reports and pay any outstanding and accruing penalties provided by law.
F. For a committee that files a termination statement as prescribed by section 16-934, subsection B, paragraph 1 that states that the committee received no CONTRIBUTIONS, the following apply:
1. Penalties may not be assessed against and may not accrue against the committee.
2. Any penalties that are assessed or that accrue against a committee that subsequently files a termination statement pursuant to section 16-934, subsection B, paragraph 1 are deemed void retroactively.
3. For any ENFORCEMENT action initiated by the ENFORCEMENT officer against a committee that subsequently files a termination statement pursuant to section 16-934, subsection B, paragraph 1, the enforcement officer is deemed without JURISDICTION and if the matter is before a court, the court shall dismiss the matter promptly.